Fiji - Climate

Fiji enjoys a tropical South Sea maritime climate without great extremes of heat or cold. The islands lie in an area that is occasionally traversed by tropical cyclones, which occur between the months of November to April. Heavy rains--up to 304 cm. (120 in.) annually--fall on the windward (southeastern) sides of the islands, covering these sections with dense tropical forest.

Lowlands on the western portions of each of the main islands are sheltered by the mountains and have a well-marked dry season favorable to crops such as sugarcane. The temperature averages 28 degrees Celsius for the cooler months (May to October) while from November to April temperatures are 2-4 degrees higher with heavy downpours. Fiji's flora and fauna are relatively few in number but are of exceptional scientific interest because of the higher proportion of endemic forms.

The entire region is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The London School of Economics estimates that across the Pacific Islands, home to 10 million people, up to 1.7 million could be displaced due to climate change by 2050. Yet Fiji, like all Pacific Island states, faces challenges in fully implementing government policies due to limited technical, human resource and financial capacities.

Home to over 870,000 people in the central South Pacific Ocean, Fiji’s 300 volcanic islands include low-lying atolls, that are highly susceptible to cyclones and floods. Thus Fiji is no stranger to the devastation wrought by climate change. Sea flooding is usually associated with the passage of tropical cyclones close to the coast. However, heavy swells, generated by deep depressions and/or intense high pressure systems some distance away from Fiji have also caused flooding to low-lying coastal areas.

Cyclone Meli devastated much of the Southern Lau Island Group in Fiji in 1979. Islands such as Nayau were subject to winds of more than 80 knots; other islands, such as Ogea, experienced only gale force winds.

In 2012, Vunidogoloa became the first village to begin relocating to higher ground due to sea-level rise.

Looking to the future, the impacts of climate change on Fiji will only increase. According to a World Bank report, climate threats to Fiji’s society and economy include:

• higher rates of disease as average temperatures rise;
• increasingly destructive storms as oceans get warmer and weather patterns become more severe;
• disruptions to agriculture as the intrusion of saltwater damages existing farmland.

On Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, these factors are expected to contribute to economic damages of up to $52 million per year, or roughly four percent of Fiji’s gross domestic product. Among the most significant incremental impacts of climate change would be damages to infrastructure and ecosystems of coastal areas (averaging about US$8-$20 million a year by 2050). But a higher intensity of cyclones could also result in substantial damages, up to US$11 million a year. Changes in rainfall could lead to agricultural losses of US$14 million per year, and the combined effect of higher temperatures and stronger climate variability could result in public health costs of more than US$1-$6 million a year. These estimates assume no adaptation and are subject to large margins of uncertainty. But they probably underestimate the costs of actual damages, as many impacts (such as nutrition and loss of lives) could only be assessed qualitatively.

Viti Levu's coastal areas are naturally exposed to weather events. About 86 percent of the 750-kilometer coast lies at elevations that are less than 5 meters from sea level. Intensive urban development, growing poverty, deforestation of watersheds, pollution, and increased exploitation of coastal resources have exposed large areas of the coast to erosion and inundation.

Climate change is expected to affect the coast of Viti Levu through a rise in sea level (23-43 centimeters by 2050), higher temperatures (0.9-1.3oC by 2050), and more intense cyclones, resulting in further coastal erosion and inundation as well as a decline in coral reefs.